Edward m



(No Model.)

B. M. BENTLEY. BLEGTRIG RAILWAY TROLLEY.

No. 574,377. Patented Jan 5, 1897 W": r I vE hr. 5 F /2 M 5m}.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

EDlVARD M. BENTLEY, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY TROLLEY'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,377. dated January5, 1897.

Application filed July 28, 1896- Serial No. 600,739. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, N. Y., have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Railway Trolleys, of which the following is aspecification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is an end elevation of my trolley, and Fig. '2 is a sideelevation thereof.

My present invention relates to that type of contact device or trolleyin which there is on top of the car or vehicle a pivoted inclined armbearing at its outer extremity a contact device adapted to press againstthe under side of a conductor extended above the line of travel of thecar and deliver the current therefrom to the propelling-motor of thecar.

The invention consists in providing a pivoted end section for thetrolley-arm which under all ordinary conditions of service will be theonly movable part of the device and can hence be made quite light, so asto be quickly responsive to the action of a comparatively smalloperating-spring. This end section is also mounted on the end of thetrolley-arm, so as to be capable of moving laterally with respectthereto, for the purpose of adjusting itself to any lateral deviation ofthe conductor from its normal location with respect to the track. Thetrolley-arm itself is also provided with a contact device consisting ofa grooved wheel concentric with the axis of the pivoted end section andmovable laterally therewith, whereby in the event of the conductor beingat an extremely low elevation the said grooved wheel will be broughtinto contact with the wire, and the trolley-arm itself will becomedepressed and operate in the usual way to maintain the trolley-wheel incontact with the wire.

Referring to the drawings, A is the trolleyarm, set in a base B, whichis pivoted to standard M on an axis transverse to the car, so that thearm may be depressed longitudinally with the car. The lugs D on base B,through which pass the pivoting-bolts, are so shaped as to form stopswhich permit but a limited upward movement to the arm,which thereforestands normally at an angle to the car. This is not essential, as thearm may stand vertically and be depressed in either direction, if

.desired. The normal position of arm A is maintained by means of anupwardly-pressing plate-spring O, fastened at one end to standardM andat the other end bearing up against a friction-roller in projection E onbase B. If the trolley-arm is to be capable of depression in bothdirections, the spring 0 is simply duplicated on the opposite side ofthe arm.

On the extremity of arm A are two lateral extensions F, the outer endsof which are turned up and joined by a round rod or tube G, which servesas a guideway and also as the shaft, on which is pivoted the end sectionconsisting of the short arm or rod A This arm A has a fork at each end,the upper fork H embracing the grooved contact Wheel or roller K, andthe lower fork H the grooved contact-wheel K the wheels being j ournaledin their respective forks. The lower fork H has two small drums 0 and Oon opposite sides thereof, respectively, and is free to slide laterallyon the'rod G. Two wires or cords J and J 2 are wound on the respectivedrums O and 0 but oppositely in the two cases, and are then attached attheir lower ends to the tips of two plate-springs L and L respectively,the opposite ends of the springs being fastened to the tops of two lugson the two sides, respectively, of base B. Obviouslythe tension of thetwo springs L and L tends to maintain the arm A in a vertical position,and in whichever direction the arm may be depressed to bring thecontact-wheel K under the line conductor one or the other of the twosprings will act to press the wheel upward into firm contact with theconductor. The short arm A is also free to travel laterally on the shaftG to accommodate itself to the varying position of the conductor withrelation to the car and track.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.. The combination in an electric-railway contact device of asupporting-arm upwardly spring-pressed, a guideway on the outer end ofsaid arm, a pivoted tip or end section movable on said guideway, acontact-wheel on its outer end and a spring for pressing said wheel intoengagement with a line conductor.

2. The combination in an electric-railway contact device of asupporting-arm, lateral extensions 011 opposite sides of said arm at itsouter end, having a guideway thereon, a pivoted rod or arm laterallymovable along said guideway and upwardly spring-pressed, and a Wheel orroller on the outer end of said rod or arm.

3. The combination in an electric-railway contact device of asupporting-arm, upwardly spring-pressed and carrying a contact Wheel orroller at its outer end, a pivoted rod or arm forming an end sectionextending beyond the said supporting-arm and movable laterally withrelation thereto and a second contact wheel or roller at the outer endof said piv? oted rod or arm.

4. The combination in an electric-railway contact device of alaterally-movable and pivoted arm carrying a Wheel or roller at itsouter end, an actuating-spring for said arm attached to a relativelystationary part and an intermediate connecting device between the springand arm adapted to move laterally With the latter.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set m y hand this 27th day of July,1896.

EDWARD M. BENTLEY. \Vitnesses:

GEORGE II. SONNEBORN, L. T. SHAW.

